Maggie Q (Nikita), Michelle Rodriguez (Fast&Furious 6), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), and Danai Guira (The Walking Dead) came together to discuss being female actors in a male-dominated industry at Entertainment Weekly's Women Who Kick Ass Panel for Comic Con 2013.
Each of the actresses is known for playing strong characters in film and television, but none ever believed they would make it to this point. Guira was set on becoming an attorney, Rodriguez a boxer, Sackhoff jokingly said she wanted to become a pony. Maslany notably stated that in her mind men and strength were one and the same so she used to want to be a boy, as reported by EW.
Women have been working hard to gain equal status as men in all industries across the board for decades, TV & Film are no different. In fact, according to the studies highlighted in an article on
Huffington Post, of Speaking Parts on a Prime Time show, only 38.9% were women. Female characters are still over-sexualized, sidelined or made completely scarce. Lead sociologist of the study said, "Both young girls and boys should see female decision-makers, political leaders, managers, and scientists as the norm, not the exception. By increasing the number and diversity of female leaders and role models on screen, content creators may affect the ambitions and career aspirations of girls and young women domestically and internationally."
All of the women at the panel are aware of the stereotypical female roles and the difficulties of finding one where a woman can be a heroine and not have a story revolving around men and men only. "They can't imagine 15 women in a movie together who all kick ass and aren't fighting each other," said Sackoff during the Panel.
"Or fighting over a guy," Rodriguez promptly added. While Maslany shared how she's experience being told to keep quite and look pretty during conversations regarding her tv shows.
They have each expressed their commitment to continuously challenging the social and gender barriers present in their work as well as portraying real women in the media in order to be good role models for younger generations. Rodriguez also stresses the importance of women producing and supporting work created by women.
“For me, the strength comes in revealing flaws, weakness, and vulnerability,” Maslany said. “Every single one of us in this room could be that woman.”
You can access the Panel transcript at the Upcoming Movies site.